Name: Adam G. Fisher
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
Email Address: agfisher (at) yahoo (dot) com
City: Medford
State: Massachusetts
Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

When I joined scouting in the early eighties I started backpacking. College and life kept me away from it for too long and I have started to get back into it. I enjoy day hikes whenever I can squeeze them in. Recently I have hiked in Australia (Alice Springs, Tasmania), New Zealand (Nelson, Wellington), England (North Yorkshire Moors), Germany (Bavaria) and Massachusetts. I like to take short to medium length backpacking trips in typical New England environments (forests, etc). My pack weight can range from a light 25 lb (11 kg) to a standard 50 lb (23 kg) to a high of 75 lb (34 kg).

Review:

Needing a new pair of hiking boots I bought this pair right before a three week trip I took to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2005. I was looking for a pair of boots that I could use everyday off the trails but also had the aggressive traits needed for trail hiking. I was very pleasantly surprised by the incredible comfort of these boots. I wore them everyday for the three weeks while on the trip. They kept my feet comfortable and dry while trudging through the man-made canyons of Sydney or the steep trails of the Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand.

One of my first trail uses of these boots came in Alice Springs, Australia. Alice Springs is smack dab in the middle of the Australian outback. I was there during the month of July, which is the southern hemisphere’s winter. This is still a desert though so the temperature can get hot. When I arrived my taxi driver said that it had not rained in the area for about 9 months. So, of course, what happens the night I arrive? It rains and rains and rains. Since I was only in Alice Springs for a little under two days I decided that there was no way I was going to miss the beautiful scenery the Australian desert had to offer because of some rain. So I ended up testing the wet weather usability of these boots in the middle of the outback. The rain came down hard and heavy. Because of this the trails quickly were covered with standing water. First off, they aren’t miracle boots. They got wet. Very wet actually. But most of the water in the boot got there from running down my legs. The boots remained comfortable throughout the entire day even in the extreme wetness. I used the boots over several different types of terrain that day: sand, loose gravel, packed dirt, mud and rock. In all these different environments the boots did very well keeping their traction. Even on the slick rock, I never slipped or slid. The low cut boots also provided plenty of support for my ankle and instep. After the hike, back at my hotel room, I filled them with bath towels and changed the towels out twice before going to bed. The next morning the boots were almost dry.

On that same trip, in New Zealand, at the Abel Tasman National Park I used the boots on a long 10 mi (16 km) hike. The park is situated along the coast on the northern tip of the southern island of New Zealand. The hike I took started on a beach and followed the coast for the entire distance until I arrived at my car in the town of Motueka. This was a great chance for me to just test the long distance comfort of the boots. Since I was on a slightly tight schedule I kept my pace up and kept my breaks to just one after about 4 m (6.5 km). As before in Australia, I was very surprised at the comfort of these boots. I used a thin pair of wool socks and after the full distance had zero chafing to my feet. If I had not been on a schedule I might have even tried to go a little farther since it was one of the most incredible hikes I had ever been on in my life.

My last significant usage of these boots was in Germany during my honeymoon. During the two weeks I wore then every single day except to dinner on some nights. After over a year of solid everyday use they still performed extremely well. The support is still there and the tread worked well on the loose dirt trails along the valleys and the snow and ice at the top of mountains.

There are two minor problems I have had with these boots. The stitching along the upper lip of the boot (the part that encircles the ankle) ripped open after about a month of use. The tear in about 0.5 in (1.25 cm) in length and has appeared to stop and not get any worse since then. The tear has exposed a small section of the internal foam padding. The padding has not deteriorated at all. The second problem is minor and is the shoelaces. As with most shoelaces the plastic ends broke off within two months and they have been fraying a little at a time since then.

The rubber Vibram soles have substantial treads that do very well during trail duty. After wearing these boots for everything from work to play over the past year the treads still have a good deal of life left in them.

A view of the L.L. Bean Gore-Tex Mountain Treads, Low-Cut Hiking Boots from the back.


Here you can see the amount of tread left after over a year of nearly everyday use.


A close up of the seam that let go in the first month of ownership.


The badly frayed shoelaces.

Positives:

• Very Comfortable
• Durable
• Attractive
• Warm
• Lightweight

My wife and I (wearing the boots) in the Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand.